John Hiester (April 9, 1745October 15, 1821) was an American military and political leader from the Revolutionary War era to the early 19th century.Hiester, John
(biography) in ''Biographical Directory of the United States Congress''. Washington, D.C.: United States Congress, retrieved online October 29, 2022. He was a member of the Hiester Family political dynasty.Richards, Henry Melchior Muhlenberg.
The Hiester Family
', pp. 23, 27–28. Lancaster, Pennsylvania: The Pennsylvania-German Society, 1907. The brother of US Congressman

Daniel Hiester Daniel Hiester (June 25, 1747 – March 7, 1804) was an American political and military leader from the Revolutionary War period to the early 19th Century. Born in Berks County in the Province of Pennsylvania, he was a member of the Hiester ...

(1747-1804), the father of US Congressman

(1774-1834), and the uncle of US Congressman and Pennsylvania State Senator William Hiester (1790-1853), John Hiester was a Republican who was elected to the

10th United States Congress The 10th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1807, to March 4, 1809, during ...

(March 4, 1807 to March 3, 1809) during the administration of President

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was previously the natio ...

."10th Congress (1807–1809)," in ''Congress Profiles''. Washington, D.C.: United States House of Representatives, retrieved online October 29, 2022.

Biography

Born in Goshenhoppen in the Province of Pennsylvania on April 9, 1745, John Hiester was a son of Daniel Hiester (1712-1795), a native of Germany, and Pennsylvania native Catharine (Schuler) Hiester (1716-1789). His parents were members of the Reformed Church of Goshenhoppen. Residing at the family's home in Upper Salford Township, which was located near what is now Sumneytown, John Hiester grew up in a world of privilege with his siblings. According to Hiester family historian Henry Melchior Muhlenberg Richards, the Hiesters' home was "a fine, two-story brick mansion on the east side of the turnpike, close to Ridge Valley Creek" that was "sufficiently prominent to be noted on the map of Pennsylvania published by Nicholas Scull, the Province Surveyor, in 1759." In 1907, Richards described the home as follows:

A broad hall runs through the middle of the first story, on each side of which are spacious parlors; the second story is divided into bedrooms; above this is the roomy garrett of the olden time. Heavy eaves run along the gable roof, and a corresponding cornice forms the lower part of the gable. It was originally provided with a secret closet in which to hide plate in troublous times.

After completing his education in the public schools of the area, John Hiester entered the lumber business with his father in

Berks County, Pennsylvania Berks County ( Pennsylvania German: ''Barricks Kaundi'') is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 428,849. The county seat is Reading. The Schuylkill River, a tributary of the Delaware Ri ...

. He married Hannah Pawling (1747-1822) and fathered seven children.

Military and political career

During the Revolutionary War, Hiester volunteered for service with the Pennsylvania

Militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

. After serving as a captain with the 1st Company, 4th Battalion under Colonel William Evans in 1777, he served as a captain with the 1st Battalion of the Chester County Militia that same year. After the war, he was commissioned as Major General of Militia. Elected to the Pennsylvania State Senate during the early 1800s, he represented Chester County constituents from 1802 to 1806. He was then elected in 1806 to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

, and served in the Tenth Congress from March 4, 1807, to March 3, 1809 during the administration of President Thomas Jefferson. Hiester entered the House during the era of the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

, and was involved with attempts by the president and Congress to persuade the belligerents to end their conflicts, including passage of the

Embargo Act of 1807 The Embargo Act of 1807 was a general trade embargo on all foreign nations that was enacted by the United States Congress. As a successor or replacement law for the 1806 Non-importation Act and passed as the Napoleonic Wars continued, it repr ...

and the

Non-Intercourse Act (1809) In the last sixteen days of President Thomas Jefferson's presidency, the Congress replaced the Embargo Act of 1807 with the almost unenforceable Non-Intercourse Act of March 1809. This Act lifted all embargoes on American shipping except for th ...

. In 1816, Hiester joined with John Cochran, J.P. Helfenstein, John Ramsey, and W. J. Duane in advocating for the creation of "an Independent Electoral Ticket" in Pennsylvania. Their appeal to Pennsylvania voters was published in the October 26, 1816 edition of the ''Lancaster Intelligencer''.

Death and interment

Hiester died in Goshenhoppen, Pennsylvania on October 15, 1821, and was buried at the Union Cemetery in Parker Ford, Pennsylvania.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hiester, John 1745 births 1821 deaths People from Berks County, Pennsylvania People of colonial Pennsylvania Hiester family Pennsylvania Dutch people Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania Pennsylvania militiamen in the American Revolution

Biography

Military and political career

Death and interment

See also

References